Each month, I’ll be featuring an entrepreneur, an industry leader, or expert in the field here on The Talk About Town with the focus on marketing, storytelling, and balancing dreams and the 9-to-5 grind.
Nick Farrell, restaurateur and owner of Sovana Bistro, has brought fine dining and catering to the quaint town of Kennett Square, PA for over two decades. Blending locally grown and sourced food with the tastes and cuisines of the world, Sovana Bistro is a dining destination for those near and far.
LG: Thanks for being with us today! We’d love an introduction. Tell us about yourself.
Nick: Hello Lauren! I grew up in Glen Mills, PA, as the youngest of five in a family where food was always at the center of everything we did. I spent a lot of time as a teen playing sports and working part-time at a neighborhood restaurant. After high school, I attended West Chester University and then went on to Culinary School at The Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh, PA. After graduating in 1995, I spent some time working in Malvern with my brother Tom at The Classic Diner. In January of 1998, I opened Sovana Bistro. It was there that I met my wife Linda! We now live in West Chester, PA, and have four amazing kids with one on the way in November 😊 along with our 2 dogs.
LG: How was Sovana Bistro created? Where did the name come from?
Nick: I began the process of looking for a restaurant location at the age of 22 (in 1997). I was told by a friend about a spot in Kennett Square not too far from Longwood Gardens. I met with the landlord and we discussed the idea of a small Italian-style restaurant. He liked my proposed menu and vision and agreed to lease me the space. The name “Sovana” comes from a small town in southern Tuscany. I had grown up cooking simple, rustic, Italian food and the quaint village town of Sovana seemed to resonate with me.
LG: Almost 22 years later, how has Sovana grown? Where do you see the restaurant going in the next 5 years?
Nick: Sovana is continually evolving and changing. We have expanded on and upgraded the facility year after year. Highlights would include adding a 65-seat patio, getting a liquor license and two bars, adding a pastry, bread, and pasta kitchen. Our goal is always to continue to add value to our loyal guests and staff.
LG: How did you build Sovana Bistro’s marketing strategy? What tactic has made a difference in your marketing goals?
Nick: We focus very heavily on guest experience to drive visitation through word of mouth. We are part of an intimate community and have been heavily involved in supporting our schools, churches, and local organizations. Our marketing has been mostly “grass roots”. I believe Social media has helped us stay connected to our fans.
LG: What has been a major success in your business? A fail?
Nick: I would say our success comes from building a healthy and positive environment and culture around key principles of life that seemingly attract the best people to our organization. We spend a lot of our time keeping the core values and mission in focus.
I have failed at many things over the past 22 years. Each and every one of them has made me better and provided insights that I would not have had.
LG: How do you manage the balance between your role as a father/husband, an entrepreneur, and a co-founder of Dineable?
Nick: I love it all. I am grateful for each role that I have been given. I did not always have the right balance as a young husband and father. Building a restaurant required years of sacrifice and it was difficult for many of those early years. My wife Linda focused on the home and I focused on keeping the restaurant going. It took about 12-15 years to get things to a point where I could see more balance in my life and start to spend quality time with Linda and the kids. The core team at Sovana is amazing and they are quite capable of executing at the highest-level whether I’m there or not. This level of flexibility has been a wonderful thing to have in my work/life balance.
I really love being an entrepreneur and building things from the ground up. When the chance to be a part of a young start-up Dineable crossed my path, I jumped at the opportunity. It’s been a great experience and I get to use my life’s work to help build a tool that I believe can seriously improve and better people’s lives.
LG: What’s your biggest piece of advice to entrepreneurs out there?
Nick: There are moments when it’s so heavy and you want to quit. You are capable of so much more than you think. Nothing comes without a sacrifice and a willingness to give up comfort in the moment for the results you are driving towards in your life.
LG: What’s the one thing you wish you could go back and tell your younger self?
Nick: Stop feeling sorry for yourself when it gets hard and be thankful for what you have in every moment.
LG: What has been the most rewarding part of Sovana’s journey thus far?
Nick: Going to the restaurant and seeing it all come together every day the way it was designed and enjoying the relationships with the folks who bring it to life everyday. They are my family. Hearing people share the moments of their Sovana experience is a way that says we nailed it.
Come one, come all! Sovana Bistro would love to host you for lunch, dinner, and your next big event! Make a reservation today.
Author’s Note: A special thank you to Nick for participating in this spotlight and his support of me through many different roles at Sovana over the years.
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